OT: Do you hate Telemarketters as much as I do?

[Churchill]

Trivial

I understand that telemarketing is a miserable job. That's why I try to have fun with them. Before they get into their spiel I stop them and tell them that I'll listen to what they have to say if they'll answer a trivia question.

My current favorite is: There have been three quarterbacks who started their careers with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and went on to win the Superbowl with other teams. Can you name the players?

I haven't had a correct answer yet.

 

[Umbran]

Telemarketers are either:

1) incompetent people who can't get a job that allows self-respect

Right. So that poor kid who's trying to work his way through college deserves your abuse? The guy who wanted an extra job with flexible hours so that he can have a few more $$ for his newborn child deserves your derision?

The actual individuals calling you are people. Trying to get along just like anyone else. While their activities may annoy you, picking on those individuals won't get you anywhere - such abuse doesn't affect the company execs who deciede to use telephones for marketing.

 

[Nifft]

Right. So that poor kid who's trying to work his way through college deserves your abuse? The guy who wanted an extra job with flexible hours so that he can have a few more $$ for his newborn child deserves your derision?

I don't disrespect garbage men, late-night wordprocessors (many legal firms have 3 shifts of wordprocessors), strippers, waiters, fast-food workers, private guards, doormen, taxi drivers, low-level computer support technicians, janitors, or any other person who contributes something useful to society.

The actual individuals calling you are people.

So it's okay by your morals to take a job standing on a street corner yelling "NIGGER!" at passers by? And for you to request that they treat you with respect, because you're just trying to get by, and don't mean any offense personally?

Sorry, no. If you act like a jerk -- in a personal or professional capacity -- expect people to respond to you like you're a jerk.

Trying to get along just like anyone else. While their activities may annoy you, picking on those individuals won't get you anywhere - such abuse doesn't affect the company execs who deciede to use telephones for marketing.

Yes, it will. If no-one wants the job because of the abuse they'll be subjected to, the executives will have to pay the telemarketers more, thereby making the advertising model less cost-effective. Cost is EXACTLY what executives respond to, and causing stress to call-bots WILL increase the executive's expense -- in raised wages, need for better psych counciling, or damage to property & personel when a call-bot goes postal.

I'm marginally sorry that it will result in stress to the people working as call-bots... probably about as sorry as the call-bot is that it's annoying me.

-- Nifft

 

[Furn_Darkside]

The actual individuals calling you are people

People that have taken a job knowing full well the impact they are having on other people's lives.

Right. So that poor kid who's trying to work his way through college deserves your abuse? The guy who wanted an extra job with flexible hours so that he can have a few more $$ for his newborn child deserves your derision?

There are always other jobs. I have yet to see a fast food joint not offering to hire.

Anyone who interrupts the privacy of my home deserves the reaction they get.

And to be clear- what I do not is I leave the ringer off on my phone because I get at least half a dozen telemarketer calls a day. I don't get that many personal ones in a week.

So, the phone is only there for me to make calls- I don't accept them at all.

That is the price of having to deal with these poor victems of society that have a gun put to their head to harrass other people.

Bottom line: No one deserves respect. If someone wants it, then they better earn it by. Intruding upon the lives of other people is no way to start.

FD

 

[Furn_Darkside]

And just how does being a Telemarketer eliminate self-respect?

I have enough self-respect to treat other people the way I want to be treated.

I have had enough self-respect to work jobs that don't bother other people.

FD

 

[Tomanta]

Nice to know you've met all Telemarketers and done thorough investigations of them all.

They may also need flexible hours. Or it may simply be the best job they could get on short notice. And just how does being a Telemarketer eliminate self-respect? Or you do you mean that in the sense that it isn't a job you brag about, nor is a job at a Fast Food joint, or being a Garbage Man.

Anyway, a simple, “I’m not interested, please remove me from your list.” Will get the job done, and best of all if they call back you are legally in the right to sue their freaking asses off.

This is exactly right. Also to help avoid getting on those sorts of call lists, when you sign up for things like credit cards look at their privacy policy. It will tell you if that company shares/sells your information (to telemarkters & the like - most do) and how to tell them not to do so. Doing this will also cut down on the junk mail you recieve.

Yes, I think telemarketing is a bad business, as well as other companies sharing/selling your information to everyone else - but that's how things work and obviously SOME people buy things via telemarketers otherwise they wouldn't be in business.

The person calling you is just trying to do their job. I'm willing to bet 90% of them do it because they need the money (poor college student, etc... and telemarketing pays much better than Micky D's).

Being abusive won't get them to stop calling you. Being polite might.

Now, that being said, should you run across a rude telemarketer or one that keeps pressuring you after saying no twice, ask to speak to their supervisor.

 

[Tsyr]

One of the few "real" jobs (By which I mean, not a drug dealer or similar) that I place in about the same respect catagorey as telemarketers are these television reporters who show up a couple hours after a major tradgey happens to someone, shove a microphone in their face and ask "How do you FEEL having learned that your wife, seventeen kids and poodle were killed in a train wreck??????"

 

[Tsyr]

I want to elaborate on something Nifft brought up...

I consider telemarketing rude. The calls quite often come at darned inconcienient times, half the people I get can hardly speak english (This is _NOT_ meant as a slam against immigrants or anything, it just seems like a job that requires constant human interaction with an english-speaking populus should require a decent ability to speak said language), and a good number of them won't give up if you try to break off the conversation politely.

Why is it OK to have a job that entails being rude to people, but not to respond in kind to said people?

 

[Tiefling]

I'm the first to admit that abusing telemarketers is immature and childish. But it's fun as heck.

 

[The It's Man]

I see it as a great way to improve my Terry Jones impersonation.

Are you, uh,...are you selling something?

If, after I've told the telemarketeer that I'm not interested in someone coming by to tell me everything about <product>, and they keep going on, I stop being polite, repeat what I've said and wish them a good evening.